Fourth Friday of Lent

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.”

—John 9:40–41

The Pharisees are surprised to consider that they themselves might have sin in their hearts because they have been so scrupulous in following the religious laws of the day. So, too, we should not assume that our hearts are pure. Rather, we should make a habit of evaluating our own thoughts and actions before God in prayer so that we do not develop self-righteous or self-aggrandizing habits.

Today, spend time examining your conscience, letting Jesus come into your heart and revealing the ways you still need to see your sin and his mercy.

 This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.